“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

But all things have consciousness, and in those terms possess a soul-nature. There are no gradations as to soul. Soul is the life within everything that is. Of course the fetus “has a soul” — but in the same way, if you think in those terms, then each cell within the fetus must be granted a soul (leaning forward with humorous emphasis, voice deeper). The course of a cell is not predetermined. [...]

[...] Various religions have decided that the “soul” enters the fetus at its conception, while others argue that consciousness cannot be considered a human soul until some time later, just prior to birth.

You grant soulhood only to your own species, as if souls had sizes that fit your own natures only. [...] Then, however, you must wonder when the soul enters the flesh, or when the alien fetus becomes one of your own, and therefore blessed by the gods and granted the right to life.

Give us a moment … In the first place, again, the self or soul in this case is not a thing of measurement — nor is it necessarily some thing that suddenly arrives and then disappears.

This designation does not include the entity as a whole, however. The personality does have access to the entity, but the personality does not contain the entity. In other words the whole self as it exists on your plane does not contain the entity, although communication between the entity and the whole self can and does take place by means of the inner senses.

The present personality cannot travel to the complete entity, again because of these very real laws; that is, while caught in or under the influence of the field of your plane, the personality cannot travel to the entity. The personality can and should be aware of the whole self of which it is a part, and that part of the whole self which the ego ignores, is the one part which can enter into the field influence of the entity, though it cannot travel to the entity itself.

I wanted to go into the invention of the soul, using mankind’s own terminology, the soul and the spirit being thought of as one and the same thing. [...]

If you will think (I hope) for simplicity’s sake of the whole self as it exists on your plane with its physical body, conscious ego and inner self as one field unit, which is also part of the larger or more complete entity as one field unit within another, then perhaps it will not be too much for you to imagine the connection, or one of the connections, between the entity field and the whole-self field, which is on your plane as being the inner senses—that is, the inner senses are one of the connectives between these two fields.

[...] In greater terms, the psyche or soul nowhere exists as a finished product or entity. [...]

Using this as an analogy, you are a part of your psyche or your soul, dwelling within it, easily following your own sense of identity even though that psyche also contains other identities beside the one that you think of as your own. [...]

In metaphysical terms, you have your being in your psyche or soul in somewhat the same manner. [...]

Your very physical stance and existence are dependent upon portions of your psyche’s reality, or your soul’s existence, of which you are normally unaware. [...]

[...] It is futile to question: “What is the difference between my psyche and my soul, my entity and my greater being?” for all of these are terms used in an effort to express the greater portions of your own experience that you sense within yourself. [...]

There would be no experience of what Ruburt (Seth’s “entity” name for Jane) calls “the dear privacy of the moment,” so if one portion of your being wants to rise above the solitary march of the moments, other parts of your psyche rush, delighted, into that particular time-focus that is your own. [...]

[...] Jane was really charged up from the day’s events: She’d received the first six copies of her poetry book Dialogues of the Soul and Mortal Self in Time, which was just off the press at Prentice-Hall, and during break we discussed that book.

[...] This applies equally to Ruburt and Joseph (Seth’s entity name for me). Thus far, my books have included Joseph’s extended notes. [...]

[...]

[...] I also believe that in ordinary terms each living entity on earth employs such a process of enrichment, tailoring it for its unique, individual purposes. [...]

[...] And through all of this, the entity formed from that massive chaos retains its identity and the knowledge of its pasts, and continues to grow in creativity. [...]

The violence that you were both speaking of this evening opened up a chasm within each participator’s soul, through which he glimpsed the dizzying origins that were behind his identity. [...]

[...] When a planetary system is disrupted, in some cases entities who are attracted to it or consider it their home, simply change their form, regroup their forces, and if they consider it worthwhile, put the house back in order.

[...] When the situation does occur, there is always a division of forces, some entities returning to form, and others not entering the process. [...]

[...] So you can say that certain portions of it deal with physical reality, physical manipulation, and plans; some with deeper levels of creativity and achievement that insure physical survival; some with communication, with even more extensive elements of the personality now generally unknown; some with the continuing experience and existence of what you may call the soul or overall individual entity, the true multidimensional self.

The soul creates the flesh. [...] The soul creates the flesh for a reason, and physical existence for a reason, so none of this is to lead you to a distaste for physical life, nor toward a lack of appreciation for those sensual joys with which you are surrounded. [...]

[...] And through all of this, the entity formed from that massive chaos retains its identity and its knowledge of its “pasts” and continues to grow in creativity.

The violence that you were both speaking of this evening opened up a chasm within each participator’s soul, through which he glimpsed the dizzying origins that were behind his identity. [...]

[...] When a planetary system is disrupted, in many cases entities who are attracted to it or consider it their home, simply change their form, regroup their forces, and—if they consider it worthwhile—put the house back in order. [...]

[...] When the situation does occur, there is always a division of forces, some entities turning to form, and others not entering the process. [...]

[...] The word “soul” unfortunately has been so used in regard to your species that it becomes highly difficult to unravel the conceptual difficulties. Using usual definitions, you would call a soul the result of a certain organization of such units, which you would then recognize as a “soul.”

(9:47.) That leads to the old inevitable questions: Do animals have souls — or do trees, or rocks? In line with the usual definition then, in your terms, this smallest unit would be “soul stuff.” That viewpoint however is highly limited, for “above you,” using that scale, there are other more developed organizations of these units; and so from that “more exalted viewpoint,” you would seem to be junior souls indeed.

[...] Physicists and parapsychologists have suggested various sorts of minute and undiscovered entities (mindons, psychons, psitrons, and so forth) that can move backward in time relative to our conscious conception of what time is, or that are at least free of our idea of a time that flows inevitably forward. [...]

[...] The three men were a part of one entity, gaining physical existence in one time. [...] There are reasons why the entity did not return as one person. For one thing, the full consciousness of an entity would be too strong for one physical vehicle. For another, the entity wanted a more diversified environment than could otherwise be provided.

The entity of which these personalities are part, that entity which you may call the Christ entity, was aware of these issues. [...]

[...] He will clearly state methods by which each individual can attain a state of intimate contact with his own entity; the entity to some extent being man’s mediator with All That Is.

(“The entity was born once as John the Baptist, and then he was born in two other forms. [...] There was constant communication between these three portions of one entity, though they were born and buried at different dates. [...]

[...] I want you to understand the nature of your inner self, or soul, for it is a focal point of reality from which other realities spring. [...]

[...] We were originally a portion of the same entity. [...]

(Janice S.: “In other words, all parts of the entity are evolving? [...]

I evolved to form my own entity. [...]

[...] “ ‘A fragment personality can become an entity.’ What’s the soul, then?”

Actually, the dominant personality, in your terms, can be compared to the dominant entity. [...] As the personality on your plane actually changes, expands and grows to its potentialities, as it presents at various times varied images to the world (such as — if you’ll forgive me for using cliches — a smiling face, a sorrowful face), but is still basically the same personality, so on another level does the entity present at various times a varied appearance and speak in a different voice. As the smiling and sorrowful faces also express and expand the personality, so, too, do the various reincarnated personalities express and expand the entity as a whole.

[...] The entity never dominates a previous personality. Sometimes these personalities also travel divergent ways for their own benefit and with the entity’s full consent.

It is often practical that entities or their various personalities visit one plane before another. [...] … You could say also that an entity visits all planes simultaneously, as it is possible for you to visit one particular state, county and city at one time. [...]

And yet, as a gardener sometimes at night walks through his garden and observes his plants—and gives added fertilizer to some—and waters others—and arranges others so that they get more sun—so your own entity walks through your soul and whispers instructions. [...]

The entities that were to dwell within your system prepared the system for their entry. [...]

[...] The whole self or entity or soul can never be completely materialized in three-dimensional form. [...]

(When Seth tells me I’ve done a Speaker’s portrait, I translate this to mean that I’ve tuned-in on but one personality out of the very many making up that Speaker’s entity.

The entity sees the whole event, the whole person-event, with the time element, or age in your terms, as simply another characteristic or dimension. [...]

THE “GARDEN OF EDEN.”
MAN “LOSES” HIS DREAM BODY
AND GAINS A “SOUL”

(9:15.) Chapter Five: “The ‘Garden of Eden.’ Man ‘Loses’ His Dream Body, and Gains a ‘Soul.’ ”

[...] Then I came to think that Seth actually meant that man has consciously separated himself from his dream body to a greater degree than other creatures have—that even though those other entities became “physically effective” before man did, they still retain a greater awareness of their dream bodies than man does. [...]

[...] A rigid, dogmatic concept of good and evil will force you to perceive physical existence as a battleground of opposing forces, with the poor unwary soul almost as a buffer. Or you will think of the poor soul as a blackboard eraser, slapped between two hands — one good and one evil.

Upon the blackboard, in this homey analogy, would be written the soul’s earthly experiences. [...]

[...] You may believe that the soul “descends” into the body, and therefore that the body is lower, inferior, and a degraded version of “what you really are.” [...]

[...] Instead of thinking you are in contact with a great philosopher or “ancient soul,” you may believe that you are instead visiting with a demon or a devil, or that you are possessed of an evil spirit.

I want you to understand the nature of your inner self or, for your friend over here (to Joel Hess) the nature of your soul, for it is a focal point of reality from which other realities spring and not imprisoned in tiny boxes of days or weeks or months, or even of centuries. [...]

[...] We were originally a portion of the same entity. [...]

([Rachel:] “In other words, the entity has many parts all helping to evolve as one?”)

Now, I evolved to form my own entity and he will, but he is not at that stage as yet, in your terms, and yet in another frame of reference he is, of course. [...]

These individuals were a part of one entity. [...]

(So far, Seth has named two out of the three personalities making up the Christ entity — Himself, obviously, and John the Baptist.* Resume at 10:37.)

This private multidimensional self, or the soul, has then an eternal validity. [...]

[...] He was of an ancient entity, and you have known him in other lives. [...]

[...] He is an entity older than you, and he has tried to point the way to you.

[...] (Philip is John’s entity name according to Seth.) The trouble that you have is of your own making.

[...] Ruburt is Seth’s entity name for her. [...]

[...] According to Seth, each of us has counterparts in other systems of reality; not identical selves or twins, but other selves who are part of our entity, developing abilities in a different way than we are here.

If, as Seth maintains, we have probable selves and if, besides all this, we live various existences on this planet, what happens to the concept of a single soul?

[...] Now the inner ego is the director, but the whole self (or soul) must know itself. [...]

[...] Do you feel lost in the face of all these ideas of entities and probable selves? [...]